She died, twelve days before her 69th birthday, from scleroderma, and is survived by her children with fellow Journalist Eamonn McCann: Kitty and Luke, both of whom are journalists like their parents.
In 1977 Conor Cruise O'Brien was appointed editor-in-chief of the paper. O'Brien was a Writer and Politician, who served as a government minister in the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). He was often criticized for his uncompromising opposition towards "physical force Irish republicanism", and his actions to that end during Liam Cosgrave's tenure as Taoiseach were labelled as censorship by some. Shortly after starting as Editor, O'Brien sent a memo to Holland:
Her awards included the Prix Italia award for her television documentary on the Creggan in Derry (Creggan, 1980), and, in 1989, the Ewart-Biggs memorial prize for the promotion of peace and understanding in Ireland. She wrote and campaigned for abortion rights in Ireland and admitted, in an article on the topic of abortion, that she had had one.
